Topping dispensers of the type mentioned above are used in fast service restaurants and concession operations, where they are subjected to heavy usage on a daily basis. Some dispensers may be available for use by patrons or by a large number of service employees. In this regard, ease of use in dispensing topping is essential.
It is frequently necessary to remove a spent bag of topping product and replace the spent bag with a new full bag of topping product. A dispenser that permits fast and easy replacement of topping bags is quite desirable.
Topping dispensers must be cleaned on a regular basis. It is advantageous that the dispenser be easy to clean in a thorough manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,475,795 describes a topping dispenser having a refrigerated compartment for receiving a plastic bag containing chilled topping that is to be dispensed in single-serving portions of chilled topping onto a beverage or dessert. The refrigerated compartment houses a drawer that supports a product compartment and a roller drive compartment separated by a partition. The product compartment includes a vertical backing panel having hooks along a top portion thereof for suspending a bag of topping directly adjacent the panel, and a cylindrical roller coupled to a drive mechanism in the drive compartment. The roller is arranged to rotate about a horizontal axis to travel vertically relative to the bag of topping to squeeze topping from the bag through a bottom outlet valve. The panel and rotational axis of the roller extend in a front-to-rear direction of the dispenser which corresponds to the direction of movement of the drawer. While this design is advantageous for providing an automated drive mechanism and a refrigerated compartment in a topping dispenser, the dispenser unit itself is quite deep in the front-to-back direction and therefore requires a deep countertop. Thorough cleaning requires that the backing panel be removed, adding complexity to the cleaning task.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,038,032 discloses a manually operated topping dispenser having a front product-receiving compartment enclosing a laterally disposed cylindrical roller, and a rear drive compartment enclosing a drive mechanism connecting a user lever with the roller to advance the roller. The product compartment is separated from the drive compartment by a partition that provides a backing surface opposite the roller. A front panel on the dispenser is removable or hinged to allow access to the product compartment, however the roller remains in close proximity to the backing surface of the partition. While this design is shallower front-to-back than the dispenser disclosed in aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 7,475,795, it is time-consuming to clean in a thorough manner.